Death

Catholic tradition has designated November as the month for the dead.  We pray more during this month for our dead relatives and friends who are in Purgatory so that by the end of the month, they hopefully will get to have a good Christmas in the next life, by being finally with God in Heaven.   And this brings us to talking about the most certain thing in life: death.  It is said that there are only two certain things in life, taxes and death.  You may elude paying tax, but you can’t escape death.  It is as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow.  The “when” or the day we are we going to die is life’s great uncertainty, but “whether” we will die is life’s great certainty.  There is no doubt about it, we all have to die.

Death is one of the consequences of Original sin along with sickness and suffering.  But death is not necessary or was not part of God’s original plan.  In other words, we are not supposed to die.  If there was no original sin, one theological theory says we would not die but would just be “taken up” to the next life after some ample time here on Earth, much like the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary.  There would be no sudden death like meeting an accident because we are indestructible (beyond pain and death). But at the same time, we are not meant to stay here on Earth forever, because it is not perfect happiness yet.  Perfect happiness is when we are with God in Heaven.

We are not meant to live forever here on Earth or to be immortals because otherwise we would have different personalities.  If you know you will not die, you can just change personalities, commit all sorts of bad things, and the world would be a very messy place because persons can do whatever they want and will not fear punishment.  Death is like a frame of a picture.  Death “frames” or puts a limit to our personality here on Earth.   The picture tells us who we really are in this life and that “who” will be the basis of how God will judge us whether we are deserving of Hell, Purgatory or Heaven.

We usually prepare very hard for a big exam or when we go for a vacation.  But have we prepared for the event that will decide how we will live our eternity?  We may have a lucky gene and live for a hundred years in this life, but eternity is just forever.  Forever means we will outlive the galaxies and the stars in this universe that have been around for 14 billion years.

Death is not something to be feared if we are ready for it.  Death is much like a surprise exam given by a teacher to his students.  You don’t know when the exam will be given.  If the student has always been studying, the surprise exam will not catch him by surprise but could even be welcomed by him.  The diligent student looks forward to it and welcomes it because it will make him receive the reward for studying regularly.  The student who is prepared knows that regular study will lead him to an excellent grade.  On the other hand, the surprise exam would be a great source of terror for those students who have not studied and prepared.

Faithful Christians do not fear death nor fear life.   They are the ones deserving of wearing a T-shirt that says “No Fear”, a once popular clothing brand made famous by the greatest Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao.  In fact, death for them would be like a graduation.  It would be the crowning ceremony for their faithfulness.  For them death has lost its sting because Christ has conquered it through His own death.  “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) says St. Paul mocking death.   Death has been turned into an instrument for life.  For a faithful follower of Christ “life is changed not ended” as the Preface of the Holy Mass for the Dead says.  Death has been radically transformed by Christ to the extent that an old poem would say: “You Lord have made death glorious and triumphant because by its portals we enter into the presence of the living God.”  In other words, Christ has transformed death as a reward instead of being a punishment.  And we can partake of that reward if we die through Him, with Him, and in Him. “Whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)